Love/Hate (Lemon GarouxReader 🍋)

Forbidden Territory

Under different circumstances this might have been a very different kind of embrace. The repressed memories of you flood him for a moment as your arms tighten around him. He half notices you trying fruitlessly to pull him back but for this second he doesn't hear, or see anything, just lost in his own mind. The longest second of his life, as if it was minutes, hours. When he does suddenly come back to the present, regaining his senses, he sees that Metal Bat is already moving away, Zenko in hand.
Tch. He didn't notice the kid before. That might've complicated things.
Annoyed, he takes your wrists and tries to pry them off but damn, you sure are tenacious, refusing to let go. Any harder and he might end up breaking your little arms.
You let go cautiously when he finally gives up and quickly grab his hand instead before he can make a getaway. You have no idea what you're doing, but you need to get him as far away as possible from here.
You look around worriedly before quickly making a decision.
"Come on," you try to start walking but he won't budge.
When you turn around again, he looks livid and confused.
What the hell is this? What are you trying to pull here? Why the fuck won't you just leave him alo-
Suddenly he's alert. Cranes his neck carefully to see better but to not be seen himself.
It's that fucking old man and who's that with him? That's Bomb isn't it? Not a hero but would easily be S-Class if he had decided to become one like his younger brother.
Three S-Class bastards in close proximity. He strokes his chin, adding up the odds. Despite how strong and powerful he's become over this time, three on one might be a bit of a handful right now.
You can't see what he's seen, your view blocked by the crowd, but you don't particularly care because when you try to pull at him again he starts to follow you.
Fuck it. At least you can serve some useful purpose for once. He'll go with you for now.
You hold on tight to his hand as you weave through the packed path, turning around every once in a while to make sure he's still there, not trusting the feel of his strong hand in yours.
You said yourself, no one can help him. So why are you doing this? It's not really to help him, it's to avoid another bloodbath, protect Bad, and protect Zenko from witnessing it.
You soon find yourself at the edge of the park, still grasping tightly, your fingers curled around his.
He recognizes now where you're taking him as you hasten down the road, the sleeves of your yukata floating gently behind you.
Your pace doesn't begin to slow until you're just outside your building a few minutes later, but even then you don't let go, wary that he might escape. It's laughable really, you think, he could easily shake you off and go back to whatever violent plans he had. You don't know why he's decided to go along with this but right now you don't care.
You pull him inside your apartment, dim and quiet. In your urgency to get him quickly away from Bad this was the only place you could think of. But now that he's here, alone with you in the dark, you aren't so sure it was such a good idea.

Tsukiko stands at the side of the goldfish scoop stand, careful not to get splashed, especially seeing the enthusiasm of some of the players. She checks over her yukata and tightens her ponytail. The time on her phone reads 8:59pm.
Bad keeps an eye on Zenko in the line for the cotton candy cart just opposite the goldfish scooping as he nears the stand from the other side.
Tsukiko does a double take. Why is he here?! She feels her blood boil just a little.
"Oi!" she calls out as he loiters about. "Didn't I tell you to stay away from me?"
"What's that?" he puts his hand to his ear mockingly. "Can't hear no word you say."
She grits her teeth. Fine. She's got no time for his antics right now.
She walks right up to him so that he'll hear every word.
"I told you to not come anywhere near me," she pokes her index finger right into his chest. "So go on, skedaddle."
"No can do," he casually readjusts the toothpick he's been chewing.
"What?" she grows more irritated. "Why?"
"Meetin' someone important," he says, leaning against the stand, still watching Zenko just a little further away, still in line for the cotton candy. "You might wanna skedaddle yourself."
"Don't you talk to me like that!" she says, not being able to stop herself from furiously reaching out and messing up his carefully styled hair. "There you go..." she says smugly. "Now you're all ready to-"
She stops mid-sentence. Blinks.
He's trying hard to hold back his anger. Think of Zenko. Think of Zenko. Can't let it show in front of her. But she's still in the line. Take a deep breath Bad.
"You're meeting someone?" Tsukiko looks at him suspiciously. "Right now?"
Bad checks his phone, nostrils flaring. 9:02pm.
"Yeah, now fuck off," he says, desperately trying to smooth down his jet black locks.
"I'm meeting someone here too," she says, suddenly growing paler than white.
"So?" he grunts. "Not my fuckin' prob-"
He stops mid-sentence. Blinks.
They stare at each other and blink.
"Ah fuck!!" he lets his hand slide down his face.
"This is some bullshit right here!" Tsukiko almost stamps her foot. "This whole time...!" she thinks she might die from embarrassment.
Bad does too.
They stand there in silence for a moment, faces alternating between red and white, trying to work everything out in their respective minds, still numb from this bombshell. How...? What...? Why...?
Eventually Tsukiko takes a deep breath. Inhale, exhale. Bad lets his hand drop, uncovers his eyes.
"Hey," he says.
"What?" Tsukiko sighs, more than a little disappointed.
He looks around furtively. Zenko is just about to collect her cotton candy, is getting her little pink wallet out.
"Come 'ere," he pulls Tsukiko into the shadow of the stand, close to him.
"What d'y-....mmm..." she never finishes her protest. This kiss everything she hoped for and more, erasing any and all traces of disappointment in its wake.